AIM: To determine the effect of childhood obesity and insulin resistance on bone health. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional study in pubertal adolescents and young adults 13-20 years old who were either overweight/obese or normal weight. Participants were Tanner 3 or above for pubertal stage, and had fasting blood work done to measure glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein and lipid levels. Homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated using the formula (Fasting Blood Glucose *Insulin/405)...

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition is a pervasive condition in Afghanistan, and prevalence is among the highest in the world. We aimed to comprehensively assess district-level geographical disparities and determinants of nutritional status (stunting, wasting, or underweight) among women and children in Afghanistan. METHODS: The study used individualised data from the recent Afghanistan National Nutrition Survey 2013. Outcome variables were based on growth and weight anthropometry data, which we analysed linearly as Z scores and as dichotomous categories...

BACKGROUND: As part of efforts to prevent childhood overweight and obesity, we need to understand the relationship between total fat intake and body fatness in generally healthy children. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of total fat intake on measures of weight and body fatness in children and young people not aiming to lose weight. SEARCH METHODS: For this update we revised the previous search strategy and ran it over all years in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (Ovid), MEDLINE (PubMed), and Embase (Ovid) (current to 23 May 2017)...

INTRODUCTION: Obesity has become one of the biggest public health problems of the 21st century. Prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents has increased dramatically worldwide over the last 20 years, and this trend is expected to continue. Obesity in childhood is concerning as it predicts obesity in adulthood, a common risk factor for a wide array of chronic diseases and poor health outcomes. Obesity is preventable and a vast but fragmented body of evidence on preventative interventions is now available...

Obesity has been associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), however the results have been conflicting. Our aim was to provide an update on current knowledge from observational studies addressing the possible association between obesity and AD. Systematic literature review was performed by identifying studies addressing a possible link between AD and overweight/obesity from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-guidelines...

Assessment of a child's weight status is the first step in the management of childhood overweight and obesity. We reviewed routine assessment programs to inform early and routine identification of childhood overweight and obesity to address this global health issue. Twelve electronic databases were searched (Scopus, Web of Science, Wiley, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PsycEXTRA, CINAHL, Primary Search, MEDLINE, ERIC, Academic Search Elite) for universal programs for weight status assessment of children aged 4-12 in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development - countries, which included more than one assessment and parents receiving feedback...

BACKGROUND: Breede Valley is a sub-district of the Cape Winelands district, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The administrative capital of the district is situated in the semi-rural town Worcester. Findings of a baseline survey in Worcester revealed poor infant feeding practices and childhood under- and overnutrition, with particular concern over high levels of stunting and low dietary diversity. Maternal overweight and obesity was high. These characteristics made the site suitable to study multi-sectoral arrangements for infant and young child nutrition (IYCN)...

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity places individuals at risk for a multitude of physical and mental health problems. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of obesity related comorbidities diagnosed prior to and after attending a tertiary care pediatric weight management clinic. METHODS: A cross sectional retrospective chart review of patients 2-17 years old seen in the weight management clinic at Alberta Children's Hospital from May 2012 to May 2014. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were included in the review...

In this study, we use matched mother-child data from the National Longitudinal Surveys to study the effects of family size on child health. Focusing on excess body weight indicators as children's health outcome of interest, we examine the effects of exogenous variations in family size generated by twin births and parental preference for mixed sex composition of their children. We find no significant empirical support in favor of the quantity-quality trade-off theory in instrumental variable regression analysis...

Adolescence is the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 years. It is a period of dynamic brain development. During this period, adolescents learn from the social behavior and environmental surroundings of their community. Because of rapid urbanization without accounting for the basic health-care amenities, health disparities tend to arise. In this review, we have tried to describe the health profile of adolescents in urban India. Relevant articles were extracted from PubMed and related websites...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in adolescents. We hypothesized that short sleep duration was associated with an increased CIMT. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. Healthy participants aged 10-18 years were recruited from a school-based cohort established to examine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in Hong Kong. All participants completed a prospective 7-day sleep diary, underwent anthropometric measurements, overnight polysomnography, and CIMT assessment...

BACKGROUND: The decrease in the frequency of family meals among Asian youth is often lamented. In Japan, adolescents who eat breakfast alone might have an unhealthy diet, which increases the risk of overweight or obese. However, there are few studies on the relationship between eating dinner alone and overweight in Japanese adolescents. Here, we investigated if eating dinner alone is associated with being overweight in Japanese adolescents of each sex. METHODS: The participants consisted of 890 seventh graders (12-13 years of age) from the junior high schools of Ina, Japan who were recruited from 2011 to 2012...

Obesity is a multifactor disorder with evidence supporting the role of the genetic factor in its etiology. The present study evaluates the relationship between leptin G2548A (rs7799039) and leptin receptors (Gln223Arg (rs1137101) genotyping and its leptin level and the risk of childhood obesity. This case-control study was conducted on 168 overweight and obese Saudi children and 126 non obese one served as control. Fasting insulin, leptin, blood glucose, lipid profile levels were measured. HOMA- IR, and BMI were assessed...

BACKGROUND: Caesarean section birth may be associated with overweight in childhood; however, findings to date have been inconsistent. This study explored the association of caesarean section vs. vaginal birth with childhood overweight in Vietnam. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study explored the association of delivery mode with overweight, obesity, and overweight/or obesity at 8 years of age in children (n = 1937) across 20 sites in Vietnam, using Young Lives longitudinal cohort study data...

Excess body weight and fat mass levels in children have previously been associated with childhood hypertension. The aim of the current study was to identify anthropometric and body composition indices most strongly associated with hypertension and to propose relevant cut-off values for these indices, above which the likelihood of hypertension in schoolchildren aged 9-13 years old is increased. A sample of 2,665 children participated in a cross-sectional epidemiological study, the Healthy Growth Study. The current study enrolled 1,315 children with full data on blood pressure, anthropometric, and body composition indices...

Literature showed that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) could increase the risk of developing hypertension in school students, but there is no reported evidence from China yet, so this study aims to investigate the association of the SSBs consumption and school students' hypertension in urban areas of Nanjing, China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among primary and junior high school students selected from 32 primary schools and 16 junior high schools using a multi-stage random sampling method, with a total number of 10,091 participants involved...

The goal of childhood obesity lifestyle interventions are to positively change body composition, however it is unknown if interventions also modulate factors that are related to energy intake. This study aimed to examine changes in eating behaviors and plasma leptin concentrations in overweight and obese children participating in a 1-year family-centered lifestyle intervention. Interventions were based on Canadian diet and physical activity (PA) guidelines. Children were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: Control (Ctrl; no intervention), Standard treatment (StnTx: 2 servings milk and alternatives/day (d), 3x/wk weight-bearing PA), or Modified treatment (ModTx: 4 servings milk and alternatives/day; daily weight-bearing PA)...

BACKGROUND: Children with obesity experience stigma stemming from stereotypes, one such stereotype is that people with obesity are "sloppy" or have poor manners. Teaching children "proper table manners" has been proposed as an obesity prevention strategy. Little is known about the association between children's weight status and table manners. OBJECTIVES: To examine correlates of child table manners and to examine the association of child table manners with child obese weight status and prospective change in child body mass index z-score (BMIz)...